Making The Choice

January 09, 2004

At the turn of the millennium, The Courant staff and local sports dignitaries pored through hundreds of names, compiling a list of the 25 greatest state athletes of the century. Sports Illustrated did much the same, selecting Connecticut's best 50. Now, with an issue that came out Thursday, the state's best are again getting play in SI, which looks at a different state each week. The list was the same one that ran four years ago and was accompanied by polls that broke down the tendencies of local fans. Basically, we learned that a majority of our 3,405,565 residents root for New York teams. We were reminded that we have two pretty good college basketball teams, that the Whalers were lost, that fans hate Pat Summitt and that Gordie Howe played a full season at age 51. ... 51! Lists such as these are subjective, of course. So, who's smarter, the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper or the nation's most prestigious sports magazine? You make the call.

Sports Illustrated

Bruce Jenner, who won gold and set a decathalon world record in the 1976 Olympics, tops the SI list.

THE BEST

The Courant

Steve Young is the No.1 rated passer in NFL history and No.1 on The Courant's list.

Sports Illustrated

Bill Romanowski, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, was No.50. Will he be remembered for his four Super Bowl rings or for spitting on opponents and punching teammates?

SNEAKING IN

The Courant

John Egan, the former Providence College and NBA star, was No.25. He had 36 points -- 32 in the second half and overtime -- in leading Weaver-Hartford to the 1957 New England title.

Sports Illustrated

Meadowlark Lemon, the Harlem Globetrotters star who lived in Fairfield, was No.10 on The Courant's list.